1.Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an apparatus for supporting a potted plant, and more specifically, to an apparatus for supporting a potted plant on a carpeted floor to reduce or prevent flattening, crushing or soiling of the carpet pile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Indoor potted plants have a tendency to degrade or destroy a carpeted surface when the plant pot is mounted directly on the carpet. The plant pot usually contains a flat bottom surface or is mounted on a flat dish. When the full weight of the plant and pot are put on the carpet, the carpet pile crushes under the load resulting in unsightly carpet surface undulations and permanent indentations. Moreover, water may condense on the pot exterior or egrees from bleed holes in the bottom of the pot or overflowing water from a pot saucer can seep into the carpet causing mildew and further carpet damage consequently. There is a substantial likelihood that even after the plant pot is removed, the crushed and mildew infested carpet will not be fully restorable.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,823 issue to Edwards on May 30, 1989, there is disclosed a plant pot support which addresses the aforementioned concerns. The Edward's patent is a vacuum formed support comprising a planar base and a plurality of conical support members. The conical support members act to uniformly distribute the load of a potted plant resting on the planar base such that the carpet will not be crushed under the weight of the plant. The support members also serve to elevate the pot above the upper surface of the carpet, thus creating an air lap therebetween allowing ventilation which limits water seepage and prevents mildew accumulation. The planar base also comprises molded structural ribs which are integrally molded into the planar base lower surface to prevent plate buckling under load.
The Edward's invention has disadvantages in that the conical support members have the tendency to distribute the load over such a small area, that the supports could damage jute backing on carpet, clearly observable when the plant pot and accompanying support structure are relocated. Thus, the problem of providing a uniform weight distribution with no carpet jute degradation still exists and remains to be addressed.
The present invention addresses this concern by providing a plant pot support which utilizes strategically located, sized and shaped leg supports to optimize the load distribution of a potted plant in such a way as to minimize damage to the carpet by creating more surface area on the legs depending upon how heavy the plant is. Also the supports produce less pressure on the jute backing preventing damage to the jute. Finally an "air buffer" between the carpet pile and the pot is created to permit evaporation.